- An electric MG Windsor car rammed into a motorcycle and three auto-rickshaws and killed a woman
- Priyanka Mayank Satra died on the spot and six others including her husband were seriously injured
- Driver Krishna Shantaram Chamankar claimed he mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake
It was 8 pm on a Sunday night. A couple riding a two-wheeler stopped at a traffic signal in Malad (West) in Mumbai. An auto-rickshaw halted adjacent to them on a zebra-crossing. A few other two-wheelers and three-wheelers stopped at the red light. Ten seconds later an electric car rammed into a motorcycle and three auto-rickshaws, killing a 34-year-old woman and injuring six others. A video of the accident has now emerged, showing the moment the car rammed into the two-wheeler with the couple on it and other vehicles.
According to CCTV footage, the accident occurred on August 30 at 8 pm, at the SV Road junction. The video begins with vehicles stopping at a traffic signal before a speeding MG Windsor rammed into them. The car hits a woman crossing the road, ramms into a two-wheeler with a couple on board and three auto-rickshaws. People were sent flying high into the air as the car sped ahead uncontrollably.
Priyanka Mayank Satra, a 34-year-old woman, who was riding pillion with her husband, died of her injuries on the spot. Priyanka's husband, Mayank, sustained serious fractures and spinal injuries and was hospitalised.
Three auto-rickshaw drivers -- Subhedar Chandra Gautam, Ramkesh Rajbhar and Abdul Rehman Shaikh -- were also injured. A passenger identified as 48-year-old Zaitun Bi Imam also sustained serious head injuries and was taken to Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital.
Accused Driver Pressed Accelerator 'By Mistake'
The driver, 70-year-old Krishna Shantaram Chamankar, is currently in police custody. During the police investigation, Chamankar told police that he mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake.
The driver, 70-year-old Krishna Shantaram Chamankar, is currently in police custody.
Following the crash, local traders, lawyers, victims' relatives and others gathered outside Malad Police Station, alleging that Chamankar was being given preferential treatment by the police. Protesters alleged that the accused was allowed access to his personal mobile phone and was temporarily kept in an air-conditioned room inside the police station.
Chamankar, a real estate developer, and a partner at KS Chamankar Enterprises, once faced scrutiny in the Maharashtra Sadan money laundering scam.
The police have registered a case of rash driving and death by negligence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Police said the accused underwent a blood-alcohol test, which was negative for alcohol.
